Don't you just hate to write sentences like "The most improved student will present a portfolio of his/her work?"
But, I'm a feminist. Gender neutrality matters. So, try out these techniques.
- Convert those sentences to the plural, if that will work
- Avoid the pronoun altogether -- "The most improved student will present a portfolio of work."
- Use the singular "their" -- "The most improved student will present a portfolio of their work."
Yes, generally singular nouns take singular pronouns. But as you aptly note, 'his/her' is awkward and using only 'his' skews the meaning of a sentence. Using 'their' as a singular, inclusive pronoun has historical precedent and promotes the meaning better than those choices.
This choice has historical legitimacy, is acceptable for all informal writing and — if used consistently — for formal writing as well (though some will raise their eyebrows).
Sources: Professional Training Company: Communication Strategies for Scientists and Engineers and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd edition. NY:Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992
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5 comments:
I had no idea that there was a singular 'their'. This is really valuable information.
Thanks for visiting Write Stuff. I'm bookmarking this site.
I wrote the singular their the other day, thought it was wrong and restructured my sentence. . . I'm bookmarking this site as well. Found you through your comment on Write Stuff.
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Dan Hamilton
You will never convince me of the legitimacy of a "singular their!" Call me a purist if you want, but this subject did more than raise my eyebrows!
We certainly need purists. You keep us from getting too sloppy. However, over time rules change and I think this is a rule that's changing.
I think twice, though, about the agency that's receiving the grant -- what does their style seem to be? After all, my job is to convince the reviewers. I don't want to detract from that.
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